Border Business: An In-Depth Look At Mexico's Maquiladora Industry

In the face of a global economic slump that sent the U.S. into a deep recession, Mexico's maquilladora (manufacturing) industry has weathered the downturn and is expanding. In the latest multimedia series, Fronteras: The Changing America Desk analyzes why the manufacturing sector near the border is thriving - despite Mexico's violent drug war. We also look at what the future holds for this industry that produces a myriad of products, from the cars we drive, to the televisions we view, to the medical devices we rely on.

In 1965, U.S. companies helped start Mexico's manufacturing boom that later paved the way for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In the first of a multimedia series, we look at the industry that is now responsible for about half of all Mexican exports.

The amount of aerospace companies with operations in Baja California has grown dramatically in recent years. In the next installment of our ongoing series, some experts argue this can lead to a cross-border aerospace industry that could benefit the U.S. economy.

Though competition from Asia lingers and their success will always go up and down according to the ebb and flow of the U.S. economy, maquiladoras are holding steady. As part of a continuing series, some predict they will continue to grow next year.

In the final part of our ongoing series, we turn to the maguiladora workers. Many have enjoyed a higher standard of living thanks to the factory jobs. But a maquila advocacy group claims many have been subjected to years of exploitation.

Benjamin Arellano-Felix, the former leader of a major Mexican drug trafficking organization, was sentenced in San Diego on Monday to 25 years in prison. Some observers are surprised by the light sentence and question whether such prosecutions have done much to stem the bloodshed in Mexico, and the flow of drugs to the U.S.

High-ranking policy makers and business leaders from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are meeting outside of Phoenix to discuss next steps for the binational relationship. Trade between the two countries is at record levels, but those at the conference say the relationship hasn't reached it's full potential.

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